Carbon pricing and transit accessibility to jobs

Authors

• Andrew Nell
• Daniel Herszenhut
• Camilla Knudsen
• Shohei Nakamura
• Marcus Saraiva
• Paolo Avner

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2025

Subject Area

place - africa, place - south america, place - urban, technology - emissions, economics - pricing, policy - equity, policy - environment

Keywords

Employment accessibility, Climate policy, Distributional impacts, Urban labor markets, Transit

Abstract

Urban transport is a major driver of global CO2 emissions which many economists call for to be mitigated through carbon pricing. However, carbon pricing policies are frequently criticized and resisted for having adverse distributional impacts, often despite a lack of quantified evidence. We examine the impact of a fuel levy on access to employment opportunities via transit in Kinshasa and Rio de Janeiro based on travel time and budget. The results indicate that fuel price increases reduce accessibility with clear socio-spatial heterogeneity. Mid- to high- income households are the most affected in terms of accessibility losses. But even small absolute losses can exclude the poorest from accessing a “reasonable” pool of jobs. The results also show that impacts vary more within income groups than across: locational decisions are key determinants of the outcome alongside income. Transit decarbonization and land use policies can help mitigate the negative impacts of carbon pricing.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transportation Research Part D Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

Recommended Citation

Nell, A., Herszenhut, D., Knudsen, C., Nakamura, S., Saraiva, M., & Avner, P. (2025). Carbon pricing and transit accessibility to jobs. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 147, 104926.